Memories
by PennyGirl
Summary: When someone's gone, all you have of them are memories. Loretta goes thorugh hers as she goes through life and makes her way home. (sirius&newcharacter) My first hp, please be kind.
1. Dance

Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with the books. And am not making any money off of this story.

Memories

Part 1: Dance

"Loretta! Get your daughter o turn that crap off!"

A woman with pale brown hair and golden eyes looked up at her neighbor's window to see the old woman pointing upwards. Loretta followed the direction of her hand to see her daughter's wide open window, the curtains flying out of it in the breeze.

Sighing, Loretta put down her spade and small hoe and slowly stood up while pulling off her thick gloves in the process. Walking quickly, she opened the door to her large suburban home and quickly made her way up the stairs and to the third door on the right of the landing. Seeing that it was open, she looked in and smiled at the sight greeting her eyes of her daughter and her young friends laughing and enjoying their weekend off from school. There was some band playing loudly on the muggle radio in the corner, and Rhia was dancing to the music with one of her friends, Michael, she believed his name was, a large smile of bright white teeth and happy thoughts spread across her face. Loretta leaned against the frame and smiled to herself, thinking how much her daughter reminded her of herself when she was that age, and theyoung manwho had brought her out of her shell and helped her to become who she was.

_"Oy! Loretta! Dance with me!"_

_Loretta looked up form her history book to see one of her older brother's friends coming across the room and reaching for her. Smiling shyly, she shook her head in response and pulled her legs under her as the young man leaned in close to her chair._

_"Come on," he said, black eyes shining, "It's fun."_

_Loretta just shook her head and buried it in her book, hoping he didn't notice that he was causing her to blush._

_"Leave her alone, Sirius, she doesn't want to," spoke up her brother's soft, authorative voice._

_Sirius just threw his friend an annoyed look and pulled the book from Loretta's hands._

_"Hey!" she cried, reaching for it as he pulled it away and threw it into a corner. "I was reading that!"_

_"No you weren't, you were getting up to dance with me," Sirius replied, taking her outstretched hands and pulling her forward off her seat. _

_She stumbled as her feet hit the floor, and Sirius caught her expertly, keeping her form completely falling on her face. He smiled down at her as she looked up at him with an annoyed expression. "I was reading Sirius."_

_"So?" he asked, placing on of her hands at his back and the other in his palm. "You can study alter. Right now I want you to dance with me."_

_Loretta frowned. "There's no music."_

_Sirius grinned and pulled his wand out of his pocket to point it at the small wizard radio that he had put in the corner of the room ages ago. It turned on and the loud music of a popular wizard singing group came on. He grinned down at Loretta. "Now there is."_

_"I have a test tomorrow," she replied, pulling away and starting to walk to her book to retrieve it._

_Sirius grabbed her hand pulled her close to him, quickly stepping along with the beat. "Come on. I like this song."_

_"You always like this kind of song," Loretta said, trying to pull away._

_Sirius kept his grip on her. "Yeah, but I like it even better because I'm dancing with you."_

_Loretta looked up at him sharply, a questioning frown on her face. Sirius grinned down at her warmly and said, "Just once, than I'll let you study."_

_Loretta sighed. "Just once?"_

_Sirius nodded. "Just once. One song and I'll leave you alone."_

_Loretta sighed in defeat, letting Sirius pull her along to the beat. "Alright. One song. And that's it."_

_"Excellent." Sirius replied, pulling her close and leading her into the steps of a waltz as the students of the common room looked on with smiles. Some of them even began to dance with partners of their own, while others just lightly bobbed their heads to the music. _

_And the whole time, Sirius looked at Loretta with a bright smile on his face._

Loretta sighed as the memory faded away. _I danced more than once with him that day. The bloke never did let me get back to my studying._ Shaking her head softly at her old friend's antics, she quickly walked into the room and shut the radio off.

"Mom!" Rhia complained, her friend Michael next to her with a startled look on his face. "We were listening to that!"

"I know." Loretta walked over to the window and shut it. "But Mrs. Kensy's complaining. You shouldn't have it that loud."

Rhia just grumbled and one of her friends suggested that they go down to the local alley and see what was for sale at the joke shop. Seeing that Loretta wouldn't object, Rhia quickly grabbed her coat and they ran off, young and happy, and oblivious to the fact that they were reminding Loretta so much of herhandsome friend that she had had so long ago.

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A/n: It's my first HP fic, it just popped into my head while doing some reading. I know I should be updating my other stuff. I'm a horrible person. It's short, but it's supposed to be. The whole setup is basically this woman and the things that make her remember Sirius and the past. Um….Yeah, that's about it for now. More later, I promise. Thanks.

pennygirl


	2. Gifts

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or settings involved with Harry potter, and am not making any money off of this story.

Memories

Part two: Gifts

A loud squeal from upstairs made Loretta flinch and drop her plate and saucer. Muttering softly to herself as she picked up the pieces, her daughters feet thundering down the stairs caused her to look up as a head of long black hair flew out the door.

Loretta stood up and looked out the window to see her daughter leap into the arms of her boyfriends Sam. At the age of sixteen, Rhia swore that Sam was everything in her life, and that she could never live without him. Watching as he put Rhia down and gave her a present stashed in his pocket for her birthday, Loretta smiled sadly as her memories of her sixteenth valentines day caused her to feel an ache in her heart she hadn't gotten for a long time.

_It was Valentines Day at Hogwarts, and students were all excited as they received packages and cards from one another, and various friends, throughout the day. The most shocking of all had been at dinner, when James potter had surprised his girlfriend lily with a batch of roses that filled the banquet hall and spilled over into the entrance hall of castle. It was over three feet high, and many students were forced to eat their meal waist deep in roses. Well, everyone except the Slytherin's, who had quickly cast charms to make the roses disappear from around their table. _

_And the surprise had gotten even better as, at the end of the meal, James potter had gotten down on one knee and asked lily to marry him, with all the school and staff there to see._

_She of course said yes, and Loretta had smiled happily as her friend had leapt into James's arms after he had placed the ring on her finger._

_"Sickle for your thoughts."_

_Loretta smiled and looked over shoulder into the eyes of Sirius black as he smiled at her flirtatiously. "My thoughts are worth more than a sickle."_

_"True," Sirius agreed, taking over the seat Loretta's friend had vacated in order to congratulate lily. Loretta didn't bother. She would see the older girl alter in the common room. There was no need to rush. Sirius took a bite of Loretta's fruit salad and looked thoughtful before saying, "I'd say you're thoughts are worth more than all the gold in Gringotts."_

_Loretta smiled at the compliment, and picked a rose petal out her plate before spearing a slice of potato and popping it into her mouth. "That's good to know," she said, after swallowing. "Maybe when I'm broke and in desperate need of money, I can sell them off for a fee._

_Sirius just grinned and Loretta smiled at him before returning to her meal. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and asked, "So how ahs your valentines been going?"_

_"Fine," Loretta said, glancing over quickly at her boyfriends table before returning to her meal. _

_"Get any presents?"_

_"A few."_

_That was a lie. Loretta had yet to receive anything. Her boyfriend was mad at her and she suspected he was ignoring her on Valentines Day as punishment. _

_"I see." Sirius fumbled in his pocket for a moment before taking out a beautifully wrapped package and placing it in front of her. She looked up at him in shock and he grinned widely before leaning down and kissing her softly on the cheek. "Happy Valentines, Loretta."_

_"Happy valentine's Sirius," she said, staring off into space as the young man walked off to congratulate his best friend on his engagement. She sat that way for awhile more, letting giggles and cheers over the happy couple float around her as she sat in a daze with Sirius' present resting in front of her._

"Mom! Mom! Look what Sam gave me!"

Loretta was jolted out of her thoughts as her daughter came running through the door and showed her the delicate necklace placed around her neck. Loretta smiled. "It's beautiful honey."

Rhia grinned widely and ran back out the door to wrap her arms around her boyfriend lovingly.

Loretta just sighed and placed the broken pieces of cup in the wastebasket and conjured a fresh, unbroken, cup so that she could pour herself another serving of tea.

She'd been taking her first sip when a small owl came flying threw the back door and into her kitchen to deposit a package and take off again before she could tip it.

Curious, Loretta picked up the small package and began to unwrap it as a second owl came flying in. Instead of just letting her open its delivery second, it just pecked her and forced her to drop her package before shoving a letter into her hands.

"Fine," Loretta said, taking a knife and slicing the letter open quickly before unfolding it and reading its contents.

_Dear Loretta,_

_I hope his letter finds you well. I am sorry to say we are in need of your expertise here at the Order. Please come quickly. Someone to accompany you will be arriving shortly._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Loretta swore and lit the letter on fire before depositing it in the sink and rushing up to her room to pack, calling for Rhia to come inside as she did so.

On the table, the owl that had delivered the letter peeked at the paper on the package Loretta had received moments before. A letter slipped out as it was torn, and the owl curiously glanced at it before hooting and flying off out the window.

Slowly the letter floated to the floor, its words standing out brightly against the pale parchment.

In bold, strong script, was written one sentence.

_For the woman whose thoughts are worth more than all the gold in Gringotts..._

And below it was a paw print.

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A/N: Yay, second chapter's up. I'm hoping people like this story. If not, oh well. And I am proud to say that the next two, and final chapters are written. I just need to edit them and make sure everything's spelled right. I don't have a spell checker, my computer's in the dark ages. It's sad, really…Oh well, hope you liked it. Feel free to review.

pennygirl


	3. Travels

Disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters or settings involved with Harry potter and am not making any money off of this story.

Memories

Part 3: travel

It took Loretta three weeks to finally make her way to England. Rather than go by port key or broom, her guide had insisted that they go by muggle travel. Taking several detours and out of the way routes along the way. "To avoid suspicion" he'd said.

Loretta snorted and just threw her cloak down on the bed of her room at the small in they had stopped at for the night. She pulled out her wand and lit a fire in the fireplace before settling down to sit on her bed and pull off her thick leather shoes.

Rain fell in torrents outside, and she glared out her window as she pulled off her socks and tossed them to rest on the floor by the fireplace. The fire would dry them soon enough, she thought, and pulled off the thick coat she had worn under her cloak and tossed into a nearby chair before she closed her eyes and collapsed backwards onto her bed to let the softness of it lull her to sleep.

Outside the rain fell harder, and thoughts of other order travels and inn stays came to mind as she slowly began to drift off to sleep.

_"Merlin's beard it's cold out here!"_

_Loretta just shivered more and let Sirius wrap an arm around her as he pushed open the door to the inn they had spotted on their way through a small village in the southern part of Scotland. They were on their way back to England, and rain had forced them to detour and stop for the night._

_Loretta shook herself and wrung out the bottom half of her cloak as Sirius went hunting for the innkeeper to secure them lodging for the night._

_Looking around, she spotted several witches and wizards in various stages of alcohol inducement sitting at the tables littering the room and spotted a fireplace in the corner that appeared to be lacking any attention from the inn's customers._

_Quickly she walked over to it and raised her hands to warm them from the heat that the bright flames were emitting. After a while, she felt the warmth return to her fingers and it was just making its way to her shoulders and arms when Sirius came walking toward her with a frown in his brow and grim line set between his lips. "What's wrong?" she asked, as he quickly grabbed her arm and led her to the in keeper to retrieve a key before pulling her up the stairs._

_"Nothing.__ But if anybody asks, we're married," Sirius said, counting off the numbers on the doors and putting the key in the appropriate one before turning it and pushing her inside._

_"Okay," Loretta said without question, knowing he had a reason to say this (it had actually happened before), as he walked in after her and shut the door quickly before locking it._

_Sirius quickly lit a fire in the fireplace and peeled off his wet cloak and coat before turning to the table and depositing several small looking packages on it that he had had stashed in his pockets. Loretta watched him do this and turned to the fire so she could begin to start warming herself up again._

_"Was there anybody in the inn you recognized?" Sirius asked, coming up behind her and pulling her cloak off her shoulders as small drops of water dripped from her hair and down to the floor where they began to create a small puddle._

_Loretta shook her head and shrugged her shoulders forward as Sirius peeled her sopping coat from her body. He tossed it on the table resting by the doorway so it could dry and turned back to the fire to warm his hands up as well._

_"Just a bunch of witches getting drunk and several wizards on their way there."_

_Sirius just nodded and began to unbutton his shirt as Loretta rubbed her palms together and encouraged warmth into them as she stepped just a bit closer to the fire. She turned to Sirius to ask him a question and stopped before the words even left her mouth as the sight of a sopping wet Sirius throwing his shirt on a nearby chair met her eyes._

_She stared for a few moments more before he finally noticed her gaze and looked at her confusingly. "What?" _

_Loretta just shook her head and moved towards the bed so she could sit down and remove her shoes and socks. Like every other part of her, they were soaking wet and needed to dry off._

_"Something wrong?"__ Sirius asked, walking around the bed to squat in front f her and help her with her shoes._

_"No," Loretta said, a hitch forming in her voice as Sirius pulled her sock off her foot and began rubbing it to give it some warmth._

_Sirius just shrugged and rubbed her feet more as she shivered from both the cold and other things._

_As Sirius's hands made their way up to her ankle, realization of what she was really thinking of finally hit her and she jerked her foot out of his grasp and folded her legs underneath her after she scooted up farther in the bed, closer to the head board so that she could lean against it. Hastily, she tucked an escaped strand of hair behind her ear and said, "M-maybe we should get some sleep. We have to start off again in the morning."_

_Sirius just looked at her oddly before nodding slowly and moving to make sure that all the windows were securely closed, and that the curtains kept all the fire's light from escaping out._

_Loretta just watched him do this and sighed before turning her back to him and unbuttoning her shirt so she could pull it off and let it dry. _

_"Loretta."_

_"Hm?"__ Loretta turned around to ask Sirius what he wanted before she was surprised with a set of warm lips pressing themselves against her own. Fire raced from Sirius's body to hers, and Loretta was too surprised to protest as Sirius leaned back for air and returned to kiss her again with twice as much passion as before._

_Loretta sighed and let Sirius tilt her back on the bed before he began to trail kisses on her neck and shoulder as he peeled her shirt from her wet skin. No words were spoken, and none were needed as Loretta and Sirius gave into feelings of warmth and desire to help heat up their cool and wet bodies._

"Miss! It's time to go!"

Loretta woke up with a start. She had fallen asleep in her clothes, and there was a loud knocking on her door as she looked around for her shoes and socks. She stood up to grab them and pull them on as her traveling companion called out for her to be ready in ten minutes. She replied an acknowledgement with thanks and all thoughts of Sirius and rain cold nights left her brain as thoughts of travel and order business filled her sleepy, weary brain.

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A/N: I feel the need to clarify some things. This story does not take place after book five. It is taking place_ during_ book five. I'm sorry if there was any confusion about this. Sirius has not come back. Sorry. Also, I happen to like the name Loretta, so I'm keeping it the way it is. Thanks for reading. Feel free to review! 


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